And his goal for 2014? To keep up that persistence and nail more distributors, such as outdoors retailer REI, which tops his current wish list.

Johnson, based out of Raleigh entrepreneurial coworking space HQ Raleigh, has patented a camping tent that doubles as a ground tent.

“Basically, it started just from an interest in the outdoors,” he says. “I loved camping and fly fishing, always enjoyed outdoor products and ran into some parachute-type camping hammocks when I was out and about, never ran into anything that could be used for overnight camping.”

So, while working in commercial real estate, he started Lawson Hammock as a side project, raising cash from friends and family to get started.

“Luckily, with this product, we’re generating sales right away,” he says.

Specifically, the spreader bar – wooden in a traditional rope hammock – is collapsible. That, and the attachable rain tarp and bug netting sets his four-pound product apart, he says.

But he can say it’s unique all day long.

It doesn’t matter if he can’t make the sale.

So, to grab the attention of Bass Pro Shops, he did say it all day long, reaching out repetitively to anyone and everyone from the retailer on social media.

“It takes a lot,” he says. “They don’t really give out their buyer names, so you have to be really creative.”

Bass Pro Shops took over a year to see to his way of thinking – but they finally did, a few months ago.

“You need to convey the benefit that your product brings to their customer,” Johnson says, and you have to be prepared to convey that message a lot, both with free product demonstrations and emails that explain exactly what the chain lacks by not including your creation. “I think ultimately it was the relationship that I built over a year that did it.”

Johnson hasn’t had to raise institutional funds yet, but he does plan to extend his line in 2014, with accessories such as tree straps and a new two-person design, and may re-evaluate his financing model.